Sunday, January 3, 2010

whew. i cannot tell you how happy i am to put 2009 behind me. oh dear, that one was kind of a doozy. but enough looking back. i am going to look forward now and i tell ya, it's pretty darn liberating. i really want to focus on being happy in 2010. i know, i know, how freakin' overplayed is that one? but really, i actually sat and thought about it. about what makes me happy. i even started a list. i mean there is the obvious stuff like, sitting poolside at the parker, eating chocolate without gaining an ounce and shopping, ahhhhh shopping. but then, when i really thought about it, it turned out there were lots of little things that made me happy. and some of them were things you would never expect. i say that because a lot of them were things i would never expect and i figure if i wouldn't expect them, then you certainly wouldn't. and so i present you with a list of examples taken directly out of my new journal.

* being able to walk barefoot on the floor without getting cat hair, cat litter, my hair, misc. shrapnel, etc on my feet.* wearing black eye liner - - it really does make me feel prettier.* moisturizing - boooring, but i actually feel the happiness as i do it. it's like i know i am doing something good for myself at that moment. simple and silly, but true* doing the right thing* finishing what i start * sunlight - - in my room, on my face, etc.* taking photos - -believe it or not, sometimes i forget how genuinely happy that makes me.* sleeping on cleen sheets * eating from the garden - -this sounds so hipster bougie, but i gotta tell you, when i actually do eat from the garden i genuinely feel like i am better than you.* freshly painted fingernails (and toenails, too)* filing --weird, i know. don't get me started. i just spent an hour entering deposits and withdrawals into quicken and it's the happiest i've been all week.

the list goes on, but you get my drift. what i realized is that a lot of things i always assumed make me unhappy, actually make me happy. i avoid cleaning and organizing like it is the plague and yet, it makes me happy when i do it. i have always assumed that it is much more pleasurable to fall asleep with my makeup on and then show up for work the next day with that day old eyeliner and some fresh lip gloss (not cute), but as it turns out spending 10 extra minutes before bed and the same in the morning makes me feel better. oh and then the little things that are forgotten like letting the sunlight hit my face or painting my nails. i mean, c'mon, no wonder i have been so damn depressed. i had just lost track of what makes me happy. ok, so now i have no excuse. i have my list (and it's growing all of the time). happiness here i come. oh, and i was just wondering . . . what makes you happy? maybe i've missed something.

ps. if you say something like my baby's smile or feeding the poor, i will delete it!

40 comments:

ha! "hipster bougie" that made me laugh. I was actually writing a list quite similar to this one when this post popped up in my Reader. My goal for the year is to pay attention to this little stuff. I am OK at the big stuff but I suck at facing all the everyday details of my life. Glad I am not the only one who struggles with it but I am excited to conquer it in 2010. Happy New Year!

I made a list like that too back in September, where I had to write down what I love for one month. It does really help because we tend to forget the little things in life ♥

I love watching the sky, especially the sunrise & sunset. It's one of the most beautiful things in the world if you ask me. And music, I could never live without it.I love heavy summer rain, the smell of coffee and eating strawberries from the garden,... ♥

when i hear these words - 'cutie, i'm home'. it's corny, but so what ;)! i like finishing what i start, clean sheets and filing, too. this year i'm going to be more mindful of doing things that make me feel good. i don't always. if i say yes to someone else, then i say no to me. happy new year!

I just discovered that putting together puzzles is actually fun. I also have an aversion to cleaning and taking off my makeup, but it's true that you do feel a little bit better when you do it. The actual planning of a trip makes me happy, (the trip itself too), and also meandering about on an unplanned day.

nice list!!!! i think too that having sometime for you really makes u happy... u know, some make up or your nails painted...It also makes me happy too, no matter if I gotta get earlier to go to work :) I feel prettier !BTW Happy 2010!!

-Out of focus photos-My fiance's "smell"-Being engrossed in a good book-My mom's accent when she speaks English-My new perfume "Imagine" by Lollia!-My new Diana F+ camera and even the crappy pictures that resulted on my first attempt :)-Daydreaming-Making others happy

Haha... I agree so much with the title: ahhhhh. That's how I feel after reading my own list. Thank you for the reminder! :) :)

so glad to see you are back and feeling better! Ok so that first cup of coffee in the morning is pretty much the best thing ever. After that you are just chasing the thrill from the first one. (haha, I guess I am addicted). And eating food from your own garden-- it really is thrilling. take care!

I read a great idea to create you're own "smile" calendar. Jot down significant events that made you happy on a particular date, each year carry over each memory, eventually you will have a calendar with 365 events in your life that will make you smile everyday.

I put painting my nails on my 2010 list too - such a little thing but my bright red nails have been making me happy all week. I also love fresh clean notebooks and diaries that have only been written in using my very best handwriting. Happy new year!

my morning cup of coffee (along with my afternoon cup of coffee and evening cup of tea) sipped out of a big cozy mug that's all mine, completing a crossword - only happened once and with the help of a friend, but the joy!!, california sunsets (going to school in wisconsin almost made me forget how colorful and tranquil those can be), dusk, that squeeky clean feeling after a hot shower, the list is endless!

what makes me truly happy is when i peel back the developer paper and my polaroid image is revealed. It's the closest to what I felt as a kid unwrapping christmas presents. Double the happiness quotient on the rare occasion that the image turns out amazing.

i have to second your comment on the happiness that comes when I finish something...

I'm with you on the moisturizing one. What else? Running really fast (for VERY short periods of times), saying "yes" to opportunities instead of chickening out and saying "no", driving with the window down.

I would like to find a job that I enjoy doing this year. Life is getting way too short and I need to find MY niche in the world. Thanks for sharing yours. Also, I would like to wake up early enough to see more sunrises.

Moisturizing, painting nails, filing and taking more photographs were all on my 2010 list as well! For exactly the same reason - I was useless and depressed in 2010. Not in a dramatic, tear-stained way but in a not getting shit done and being tired all the time kind of way.

Physical exercise is also high on my list. And eating good fresh food and drinking lots of water.

I too make lists from time to time when I feel like I'm wasting time chasing things I THINK are going to make me happy but don't. The list helps to remind me of what really is important to me so I can focus more on that and less on the other stuff!

Truth be told I agree on the cleaning! I don't particularly love to do it, but when its all said and done (and cleaned) I feel quite the sense of accomplishment!

1. Being abble to close my door and just listen to music and having noone disturb me2. The lovely, shinyness of my nails right after I paint them3. Getting a good grade on a test that other people thought was hard. just means I didn't waste my time studying for the test!4. Finding money in my pocket5. Being able to see my friends every day

Last year was a doooozy, so much upheaval, and then one day, I woke up and found myself in the middle of the Mongolian desert and was, like, how??? This year is about re-centering and seeking happiness, such as a good cup of coffee on a sun-drenched Sunday morning and fresh-picked berries.